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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law vs. U.S. Constitution and Culture

Shamim Masih is providing a follow-up (scroll below my thoughts) on the rumors and status of the Christian Zafar Bhatti who has been convicted for committing blasphemy in Pakistan.

As Shamim Masih reported yesterday in his report “CLAAS has nothing to do with Zafar Bhatti case, says Basharat Khokhar,” Pakistani Christian Zafar Bhatti has not been receiving the material and legal support publicized by the Pakistan Christian Civil Rights organization CLAAS. Regardless of the initial reported rumors, Bhatti is alive, unwounded but not well. This is the horrendous blasphemy Pakistan law that was supposedly committed and indeed convicted for (Sources on legal issues):

Zafar Bhatti is accused of blasphemy under Pakistan’s 295C blasphemy law. He was charged in July 2012, based on rumors that he insulted Muhammad’s mother in text messages. Zafar worked selling medicines, and he often went door-to-door with his presentation. He also used those opportunities to share Christ in the various homes, reading the Bible and praying with families. He also established a small NGO called “Jesus World Mission” [NGO link on Facebook] whose purpose was to assist the poor.

On July 11, 2012, he was accused by a fellow NGO worker of sending blasphemous text messages from a mobile phone that she had given him. Zafar and his wife left the village to avoid a massive riot. Police arrested him on July 26, charging him under 295c of the legal code, which are informally called the “blasphemy laws.”

In jail, Zafar has been beaten several times. Someone also tried to poison his food. Several of the Muslim prisoners pressure him, saying if he accepts Islam he will be forgiven. Zafar’s sister and wife are quite concerned for his well-being in prison as his case moves through the legal system. “Pray that God will help my brother stay strong in his faith,” said his sister. (Prisoner Alert: Zafar Bhatti; reposted from Persecution Blog [that link now dead]; Before It’s News; 9/4/13 12:32)

Once again, Pakistan's blasphemy law has been used to bring unsubstantiated charges against members of religious minorities. Rev Zafar Bhatti, president of the Jesus World Mission, is in prison after he was accused of violating the 'black law.' Judges now must decide whether or not to heed the appeal made on his behalf and release him on bail. A Muslim leader said the Christian clergyman sent him text messages that insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Catholic leaders and human rights activists have responded immediately, pleading for his innocence, noting that police has been subjected to pressures and that the case is vitiated by errors in law.

Rev Bhatti hails from Karachi, but moved to Lahore in 2010, in Nawaz Sharif Colony, where he has worked on behalf of local Christians and religions minorities for the past two years. On 10 July, he decided to move with his family to the capital Islamabad. The next day, Ahmed Khan, deputy Secretary of the local Jamat Ehl-e-Sunnat, unexpectedly filed a complaint against the Christian clergyman at the New Town police station, in Rawalpindi.

According to the police report, Khan received some text messages on his mobile phone with insulting language towards Muhammad's mother from an unregistered but visible number, which he kept in the phone's memory. At the police station, he said that if the agents did not open an investigation for blasphemy under article 295-C of the Penal Code, his organisation would take matters in its own hands.

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Police arrested Rev Bhatti on 16 July and his sister-in-law Nasreen Bibi. In custody, the pastor was physically abused and tortured to extract a confession but he stood his ground, rejecting the accusation and insisting on his innocence.

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"Zhaffar Bhatti is innocent," said Khalid Jill, of APMA. "We are going to fight for his release." In his view, police began a case against him under "pressure," but we "are going to appeal because he was charged under the wrong article of the law."

Mgr Rufin Anthony, bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, is of the same opinion. "How can police be sure" about the offender's identity? "It is clear that it is a case of personal animosity," probably in connection with some land. (Christian leader falsely charged of blasphemy in Islamabad; By Jibran Khan; AsiaNews.it; 8/13/12)

Zafar is accused of sending blasphemous cell phone text messages to an Islamic cleric. Problem is, Zafar is illiterate and would have no way of knowing how to write a text message.

The Pakistan contact says Zafar survived an assassination attempt in prison March 31. Apparently poison was placed in his food, causing him to bleed from his nose and mouth.

Here's a portion of the email sent to me about Pakistani Christian prisoner Zafar Bhatti:

"Muslim prisoners told him he would be forgiven (for the alleged blasphemy incident) if he accepted Islam. But he refused to accept Islam. Muslim prisoners are trying to kill him... and are saying they will tell jail authorities that he is using bad language about Prophet Mohammed. Zafar's sister says 'everyday Muslim prisoners come around Zafar and call him kafar (infidel) and use bad language against him and Christianity.' They are giving him mental torture. Zafar's life is in danger in jail." (Pakistani Prisoner in Urgent Need of Prayer; By Gary Lane; Blogs CBN.com - The Global Lane; 7/17/13 11:43 AM)

I want you to notice the large bulk of this information is NOT from any Mainstream Media sources. The irony is if you Google ‘Zafar Bhatti’ most Mainstream Media sources still have the rumors that he was killed in Adayla Prison awaiting execution for the absurd Blasphemy conviction.

The Christians on death row for Blasphemy convictions are growing all the time. To my knowledge no one has been executed as yet. On the other hand death row Christians are victims often victims of attempted murder or murder by guards and/or inmates. Zafar Bhatti is an example of the many Pakistani Christians that are relatively unknown in America because our media has opted not to report on the horrendous treatment of Christians in Pakistan unless it is a catastrophic event in which many Christians die.

Shamim Masih is openly soliciting donations for care of Zafar’s legal bills and for his family that also live constantly under the threat of Muslim mob violence or mob execution. If you read this and KNOW someone or some Organization that can offer some very needed support Zafar you can send money directly to Shamim Masih who was contacted by Zafar’s family to get the word out on the Christian Pastor’s precarious life and death situation. For Americans willing to step up, the best way is through Western Union. Here is the Shamim Masih contact information to send money via Western Union for Shamim to present to the Zafar Bhatti family:

For Americans especially, I have discovered the best way to donate to Shamim Masih is via Western Union sending this LINK to a Western Union agent in Islamabad. Include Shamim’s phone - +92-300-642-4560

By clicking “LINK” above Western Union will take you through the process of donating in U.S. Dollars in which Western Union converts to Rupees. Shamim’s phone is needed because that is how Western Union contacts Shamim to make him aware funds are available.

If you desire a tax deduction for your giving you need to find a reputable organization that has the proper U.S. Non-Profit tax status to that will contribute to the needs of Zafar Bhatti and his family.

OR try contacting Tahir Naveed Chaudhary the Chairman of the Pakistan Minorities Alliance (PMA) specifying on how to help Zafar Bhatti: HERE.

There is more donation methods toward Shamim Masih at the end of his update report posted after my thoughts entitled, “Zafar Bhatti blasphemy accused is perfectly fine, says his wife Nawab Bibi”.

Can you imagine the silliness of being convicted to a death sentence for voicing your opinion about Mohammed in a negative way? If such laws existed in the USA I would have been lynched long ago. As a Christian living in the land of Liberty I often condemn the theology of Islam directly from that so-called religion of peace’s own revered books such as the Quran, Hadith and Sira. The Quran is considered immutable even by devoted Muslims that call themselves Moderate. It is misleading that the Quran is not presented in a chronological order because there are basically two sides of a coin in the book. One side concentrating mostly form Mohammed’s home town of Mecca prior to fleeing are all about peace and toleration through Allah. The flip side of the coin are Mohammed’s words and actions in Medina which by Western standards are quite lecherous, greedy, brutal and intolerant. According to Islamic theology, especially as seen through the Sunni sect and Abrogation, the Medina portion of the Quran outweighs the Mecca portion when consulted on a theo-political jurisprudence matter. I do not have an irrational fear of Islam as the word ‘Islamophobia’ might indicate, rather I have a very rational dislike for the Islam that is very anti-Christian (ergo antichrist religion) and anti-Jewish (ergo antisemitic) in their holy writings. Thank God I have the right to expose the essence of Islam’s antichrist nature in America. Pakistan I probably wouldn’t make it to the court house before Christ-hating Islamic Supremacists murdered me for my beliefs as blasphemous to Mohammed, Allah and Islam in general.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (Bold text mine)

In America the Constitution is nearly holy writ for the American way of life. Hence Religious Freedom and Free Speech is protected even if individuals, people of devout faith, atheists or various political ideologies are offended. As Americans when a person or group of a divergent faith, no faith or political persuasion offends another American; the offended vents in written or peaceful protest form. Violent responses has become as heinous crimes in the minds of all Americans of faith, no faith, race, gender and politics. Now it is true peaceful protests have evolved into violence but this has occurred less and less in the USA since the 1960s. These days when violence does erupt it is almost never to do with religion or politics, rather when the perception of a minority race that their race has experienced a horrendous rupture in Civil Rights, the minority breaks out into violence. These days the majority population as a whole rarely if ever instigates violent protest over an incident. This was not the case during the 1960s and the very early 1970s in which the Civil Rights Movement was forcing the White majority to abandon long-time prejudices primarily against African-Americans (Black Community).

The Southern U.S. had been entrenched in the hostility toward Black Americans having the same Equal Rights as White Americans because of the former Black Slave status ended with the North (Union) victory over the South (Confederacy) States effectively ending the institution of slavery but not the White attitude toward former slaves. The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution became the foundation to provide Equal Rights to American minorities even though the end of the slavery of Black Americans was the purpose. Those Amendments became ratified in 1865, 1868 and 1870 respectively. BUT full implementation was not forced upon the segregationist South and various non-South urban areas until the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. That is roughly 100 year variance between slavery emancipation and the enforcement of Civil Rights.

This is my point: other than some race baiting by certain politicians (cough – President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and more), Civil Rights violence has nearly ceased to exist. Regardless of the fact that discrimination does still exist it is not even close to the level that Black Americans experienced prior to the forced policies of the Civil Rights policies of the U.S. government in the 1960s and early 1970s.

As I was researching the limited sources I could access pertaining to Zafar Bhatti and his family I discovered that Zafar’s sister – Nasreen Bibi – experienced a tragedy at the hands of Muslims in 2010. Then 12 year old Shazia Bashir worked for a Muslim family as a domestic servant. When her parents were finally granted access to their daughter they found her tortured with cuts to her body of which Shazia eventually succumbed to in the hospital. At any rate forgive me for interjecting the U.S. Constitution be sure to read about Zafar Bhatti’s very urgent needs as reported by Shamim Masih.

ISLAMABAD: Zafar Bhatti accused of blasphemy case confined in the Central Jail Adiala (or Adayla) Rawalpindi, is perfectly fine and fit, says his wife Nawab Bibi after visiting him in the jail on September 29, 2014. She is thankful to Tahir Naveed Chaudhary, Chairman Pakistan Minorities Alliance – PMA and Basharat Khokhar, Rights Activist for arranging their visit to Adayla Jail.

According to the details; there were rumors that Zafar Bhatti a victim of the 295-C [Blasphemy Law] imprisoned in Adayla Jail, was attacked after the attack of Muhammad [perhaps also Ali] Asghar, another blasphemy victim in the same premises. A police constable named Yousaf attacked Muhammad Asghar on September 25, 2014; he received a gunshot and was taken to the hospital and is still under treatment. Since then there were unverified reports [that Zafar was killed] and Zafar’s family was worried about him.

Early morning on 29th September, Tahir Naveed Chaudhary chairman PMA and Basharat Khokhar took Nawab Bibi and Nasreen Bibi and went to see Blasphemy victim Pastor Zafar Bhatti. They met Zafar in the jail and found him in good health. Tahir Naveed Chaudhary, who has been attorney to Rimsha (a minor girl, victim of blasphemy), said it was [his] first visit after the speculations and after the fact finding. We decided to take care of the family and the case as well. PMA has decided to provide assistance to the family and legal aid for the accused. Basharat Khokhar, a member [of] civil society, said that I voluntarily [provided] assist[ance] to the persecuted because I have faced the same charges. Human Rights champions work [assistance] as a business but I am passionate to save the beleaguered community.

Nawab Bibi, wife of the Zafar Bhatti, supported Basharat Khokhar and said that he [has] been helping us since the case is registered. Joseph Francis [of CLAAS] came to us and had a photo session, he also provided us assistance of Rs. 5000 twice, and she [had] answered when asked about the CLAAS assistance provision. Nasreen Bibi, sister of Zafar Bhatti, said he [i.e. Joseph Francis] is [the] least [to] bother solving the case and seems interested to prolong the case for his vested interest. That is the reason he uses delay tactics in the case. Both females showed their confidence on these gentlemen [i.e. Tahir Naveed Chaudhary and Basharat Khokhar].

The group came to my house after their meeting with Zafar Bhatti in the jail.

Persecution against religious minorities is very common in Pakistan. But it is observed that some Human Rights champions, without realizing the pain of the victims, play with the life of the poor Christian families.

For Americans especially, I have discovered the best way to donate to Shamim Masih is via Western Union sending this LINKto a Western Union agent in Islamabad. Include Shamim’s phone - +92-300-642-4560